Where is my comment?!? [UPDATED]
In case you're wondering why you haven't seen your comment on this piece yet, it's not because we're censoring them. We typically approve 98% of the stuff that comes in, rejecting only things that are profane, threatening or hate speech. We get a fair amount of comments that include words not publishable in a newspaper, and we reject those out of hand. The other two categories, not so much. We also look askance at comments that insult other commenters without adding any substance to the conversation. Go ahead and insult the writer of the piece, that's fair game.
So what's the hold-up? There are two (robotically evil or simply human) forces at work:
1) Our publishing platform online is hideously slow and finicky. We'll approve comments, then they'll wait sometimes for hours -- literally -- to make it onto the page. I'd love to work with a better platform, but we don't have a lot of spare cash these days.
2) We don't monitor the comment boards around the clock. Sorry, but we just don't have the staff for that. I wish it could be otherwise, 'cause lots of people read and comment early in the morning or late at night, and we don't want to cut them out of the discussion. But for now, it least, it doesn't work that way.
UPDATED, 2:13 p.m. The cookies used by our site seem to freeze the comments counter at whatever level it was when you first hit the page. To see the latest comments, click on the link at the top labeled Discuss Article. There's still a time lag between when comments are approved and when they post, alas.
UPDATED, 5:03 p.m. Actually, to see the latest comments, you may have to clear your browsing history -- the temporary copies of the web pages you visit that your browser automatically saves. Go to the Tools menu in IE or Firefox and work from there. (You have to go the Options/Privacy submenu in Firefox to get to the right place.) Yes, that's a pain in the neck, and no, we're not trying to make it that way.
Daniel, if we're going to run it, you'll hear from us within about a week of our receiving the letter. We get so many letters, I don't think we're able to send out rejection notices.
Posted by: Jon Healey | April 20, 2009 at 05:58 PM
Just curious if you put my letter to the editor in the paper titled No job No money No home?
Posted by: Daniel Wilson | April 19, 2009 at 11:16 AM
Why is it when Republicans (which isn't what the tea party was entirely made of) want to protest we're idiots, but when democrats protests they are just exercising free speech. Cooper is so biased he's oozing.
Posted by: Carrie | April 18, 2009 at 06:46 PM
First you complain that your paper subscriptions are down, and it's obvious the paper is betting on the future being electronic - so BUY SOME TECHNOLOGY AND GET IT TOGETHER.
A few thousand and you'll be up and running. It's ridiculously short-sighted.
Posted by: WTF? | April 16, 2009 at 08:51 AM
Obama AND bush are the same. Your rant is ignorant and mean spirited. Like your paper you are "going out of business" and it wont be a moment too soon. You media know it alls are worse than ANY administration, present or past and only little wit can excuse you.
Posted by: b hugh | April 15, 2009 at 10:26 PM
Cooper: It is not insane for us to realize that taxes are becoming a huge drag on our personal finances. Adding up fed inc, ss, state, local, prop, sales, and I get 50% of my income. Plus I'm paying $45k/year for my first kid finishing college. Then I see Obama/Pelosi creating a deficit as % of GDP that's going off the charts for years to come. Then I see that he's mainly spending it to keep govt large and entrenched. It will HURT the private sector, and hurt my kids' job and wealth-creation prospects. So, is that insane?
Posted by: steve bourg | April 15, 2009 at 04:58 PM
Uh, Mr. Wiehard (#1), please stop shouting. And you are dead wrong. These rallies are completely about condemning Obama. Listen to the folks at them. Ask a few questions. I have. Such as "what do you think about Obama?" Hisses, unprintable epithets (some not so vaguely racial), and of course the twin canards of "Obama is a closet Muslim radical" and "Obama was not born in the US" are comments that are quite common. Then of course there are the liars who (like their republican stealth caller counterparts on talk radio) claim that they voted for Obama, but now are against his tax hikes.
So yes, let's get the story straight. These are publicity stunts by Faux News. The claims that Obama wants more of your money are ridiculous. Most of the folks at these rallies will get a tax reduction. Only those with a NET taxable income of 250,000 will see increases. The crocodile tears over the inheritance tax make no sense either, especially given that about 3 percent of all estates paid the tax last year. But go ahead, working and middle class Fox viewer, go carry the water of the billionares and cut your nose to spite your face. You do realized that Rush, Hannity, Beck, Coulter and Dick Armey (leading the teabaggers - now THAT is funny) are all laughing at your ignorance. Not me though. I pity you, and look to the day when you arise from your self-induced political stupor and see these billionare conservative charlatins for who they really are.
BTW - where where you tea-baggers when Bush was driving up the deficit by keeping the Iraq war off-budget, essentially hiding the true cost and effectively raising the debt. Yes, truely self-induced stupor.
Posted by: Sam | April 15, 2009 at 04:42 PM
LETS GET THE STORY STRAIGHT. IT IS NOT A ANTI-OBAMA MARCH. BUT A MARCH AGAINST BIG GOVERNMENT SPENDING AND EAR MARKS THAT OUR CHEAP POLITICIANS INSERT IN BILLS THEY NEVER READ. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO ABOUT PARTY AFFILIATION--
Posted by: Robert Wiehardt | April 15, 2009 at 01:33 PM